Waiting
by Cerlyn
Summary: A young girl, faced with living up to high expectations as the daughter of Cynthia, the League Champion, struggles to figure out just how she is going to make it as a new trainer. OC, possible lemons in later chapters. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Rated M for language, mild violence and possible lemons in later chapters.**

**This is my first story, published on or anywhere else. I had a lot of ideas swimming around in my head for a story and decided to act on them. Kade is based off of my character in Pokemon Diamond. **

**I do not own Pokemon, any Pokemon characters, the Sinnoh or any other region, and any towns.**

**Any kind of feedback is much appreciated! Hopefully will have next chapter up within the week.**

**It gets better, I promise. (:**

Waiting. It was one of my weak points, a soft spot that got me into trouble and a result of my non-confrontational attitude. You see, normal kids scratch out the first few years of their lives waiting, so I was normal in that aspect. Waiting for their tenth birthdays, waiting to be able to leave home and embark on this 'amazing adventure, filled with new friends and fun'. That's what we were told, anyway.

Getting your own pokemon was supposed to be exhilarating, the first of many new experiences. This was so far from the truth, so far from the fantasies that schoolchildren had that the teachers and parents in their lives instilled. Every year, parents let their ten year old children loose on the world, gave them a weak young pokemon and a phony dream. Some of these children were never heard from again, the result of carelessness on the parents' part and laziness on the childs. More and more children were being taken, stolen from their false hopes by death, death brought about by nothing more than their general unpreparedness. Children who had waited out their first years in school, not paying attention to their studies and not paying attention when they were informed of all the dangers becoming a trainer presented. Which was why I believed, and still quite frankly do, that waiting probably saved my life on more than one occasion.

But waiting was a terrible thing for me, too. I chose, on my tenth birthday, to stay in school. To stay home with my mom and dad and finish my education and hopefully not become another statistic for juvenile mortality rates. I had been criticized, mocked by the older kids in the trainer school, my neighbours, people around town. It was unheard of for someone living in Hearthome to not start off with a pokemon the day after their tenth birthday or to start conditioning themselves to be a coordinator. Hearthome, right smack in the middle of Sinnoh, was one of the busiest towns for miles. It's right by the end of Mount Coronet, the biggest town in the long pathway that cut clear through Sinnoh. One would think that a kid, especially a young girl who really had nothing going for her there, would want to get away and start on her own as soon as possible. But I was scared of the change, of not being able to live comfortably and having to worry about my safety every minute.

I was perfectly happy continuing on in school, waiting until I was sure I was ready to become a trainer. And becoming a trainer was something I knew that I wanted to do; although breeding pokemon was in my blood and something I had known inside and out since I had begun to form coherent sentences, it wasn't appealing to me to make a pokemon beautiful and show off. There were a lot of people living in Hearthome that did just that; it was a daily thing on my walks to school to see men and women dressed to the nines and parading their prized pokemon through the bustling streets of Hearthome. My dislike for the whole business shunted me farther from the children at school, for many of them were raised in homes absolutely dedicated to the art of making a pokemon bigger than the rest, softer and smarter.

I was that weird kid that apparently didn't like pokemon; the loser not even the youngest children wanted to be seen with. My dad was always encouraging, even though I had already expressed an interest in becoming a trainer and not taking over as head breeder at his ranch. He still dropped subtle hints at getting me interested in the art of producing pokemon superior to the parents, but I would have none of it. The years of being the only older kid with the younger ones in the school took their toll, and I became secluded from the others. Just a kid walking home, taking the long dirt path along the base of Coronet home to the sprawling ranch on the outskirts of town.

Considering the circumstances in which I was raised, one would generally think that I would be depressed, wouldn't want to be anything more than someone who drifted through life with no real purpose. If any of the countless children at school or in town had bothered to try to make friends with me, they would have found that the apparent psycho was actually a nice person. Optimism came just as strong to me as shyness, which my dad seemed to think was hilarious. At school and around the town I was Callum's daughter, the quiet one who had rejected pokemon. But around my parents and the pokemon my dad bred on the ranch I was a different person, stubborn and outspoken.

It was around the time my mom left again during the summer that I turned fifteen. Mom was famous in her own right, and people often challenged me to become half the person Cynthia was. She left for months at a time; you don't get to be head of the Pokemon League and do no work. She would call once a week, about as often as she could. Being the daughter of the Champion and a widely known breeder was tough enough, but my decision to wait was beginning to take its toll on me. I was starting to tank in school, my grades slipping faster than my reputation. I had been bumped into the senior trainer's school not too long before my fifteenth birthday, and the change had seemingly had its affect on me. I wanted to go out, to catch pokemon on my own and to explore Sinnoh. My mom had effectually convinced me, and I was raring to go. Just one problem presented itself; how in all hell was I supposed to just go out and catch my own pokemon?

Sure, I had been reading about it and studying the techniques for much longer than other kids had, but reading about it and practicing it were two very different things. The one time I managed to save enough money up to go and buy a pokeball from the local market, the store owner had laughed me clear out of the marketplace. When I told my dad about my failed attempt at starting my own team, he kindly suggested that I try to get some experience with pokemon before trying to actually catch a wild one. I agreed, but under one condition; I could have one of the pokemon that he bred.

---------

Fifteen years old. Finally. I had been waiting for this day to arrive since I had first made the decision to stay home. I had figured that I would be capable enough to tackle all the challenges becoming a pokemon trainer would throw at me, and I had the entire summer to figure things out. I wished I could be there to see the younger kids' faces when they realized that Kade Whiting, freak extrordinaire, wouldn't be returning for another year at the Hearthome trainers' school. I grinned at this, sticking my legs out from under the warm bedsheets as I made an attempt to wake up. It was early in the morning, but the intense sunshine blasting me full on in the face and illuminating my small room told a whole different story. I was already sweating after having been lying awake for mere minutes; I didn't want to think about what it would feel like out there come noon.

Sitting up, I brushed my hair backwards from my face with my fingers and stood, stretching as I examined myself in the mirror. I frowned slightly; I must have been sleeping pretty weird to have this many lines indented across my face. Taking a few steps towards the mirror, my bare feet stuck to the wood floors as I creaked my way to the full length mirror hanging on the back of my door. Soft blue eyes stared back at me, examining the criss crossing mess that meshed my face. I had my mothers eyes, the only compliment I had ever received about being her daughter. I raised my fingers to trace across my face, whispering over my lips and nose thoughtfully.

I liked my face; my nose wasn't as obnoxious as my dad's, a soft slope that fit perfectly with my pink lips. I never wore makeup, never wanted to. It was part laziness and part uncertainty that kept me from trying to look like all the other hotshot girls at school; on one hand, I couldn't be bothered to wake up an extra half hour early to apply some gunk to my face that would probably only be messed up by lunchtime. On the other, a part of me wanted to believe that I was pretty enough not to need the help makeup was said to offer women. Soft chocolate locks fell in straight strands over my shoulders, just brushing my shoulder blades. I liked my hair as well, liked the fact that that was the one thing I could hold over the heads of all the snobby girls at school. That I didn't have to straighten and fry my hair every morning, didn't have to worry about it getting wet and having that little wave starting up at the side. I had been made fun of in the past, yeah. But never about my looks, about my face. I was glad about this, because it meant that at least people didn't consider me shit-ugly.

My skin was creamy white right now, but that was a result of the harsh Sinnoh winter. I couldn't stand snow, hated being cold and hated being out in the wet stuff even more. Once summer started, which, judging from the intensifying sun lighting up my room, wouldn't be too far off, my skin would adopt my favoured skin tone, a soft brown that beat looking like a snowman. I was lucky that I took after my mom; even though I had taken my dad's darker locks, my facial features were almost identical to my mothers. People often told me that I looked remarkably like the League's Champion, and I never bothered to correct them. Whoever knew in Hearthome either didn't feel the need to spread this particular bit of gossip around or wasn't up to seemingly appreciating the quiet pokemon hater.

I snorted derisively at this thought. Pokemon hater, my ass. One wouldn't fare well living on a ranch if they were in the mindset that pokemon weren't to have any contact with humans. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face now; there was a reason I had bothered to roll out of bed so damn early. Raking my fingers through my hair as a sad substitute for my brush, I pulled the yellow elastic off my wrist and twirled my hair into a messy bun at the nape of my neck.

Practically skipping across my room, I changed into more acceptable day clothes, discarding my pyjamas into the soft plastic bin at the foot of my bed. Today was the first day of summer vacation, and if everything went as I was hoping it would, the first day marking my freedom. Never again would I have to return to that infernal hell hole that I had actually _decided_ to stay in. And, I thought happily as I pushed the pockets on my jean shorts the right way, the day that my dad had promised to give me my first pokemon. My mind began to wander again, much the same as it had been the last few weeks of school. My dad was proud of the fact that I had decided to stay at home and learn as much as I could before becoming a trainer, and had promised me not long after my eleventh birthday, when I had become quite sick of the school, that not only would I not have to go out and catch a wild pokemon, but I could pick any of the pokemon that he bred here on our ranch. This idea was mind boggling to my eleven year old brain; the pokemon that my dad bred were so diverse that I was almost certain that I would pick six out right off the bat and be set for life. While I had grown out of this particular train of thought in the ensuing four years, I had still been up most of the night last night trying to decide which pokemon I would pick.

Straightening the hem of my sky blue tee, I shut the door on my sunny bedroom and thumped across the antique wood landing and stairs. Our house was small, but it was cozy and I had never found myself wishing that we lived somewhere bigger or more modern. It had been in my fathers family for as long as anyone could remember, and my dad was not-so-secretly hoping that I would raise a family here someday.

My bare feet scuffed along the throw rug at the bottom of the stairs as I entered the little kitchen, looking around for my dad. His enormous frame would have been immediately obvious had he been anywhere in the kitchen or adjoining living room, so I was disappointed when I realized he must be out in the yard already. Jesus, how early did I have to get up to be able to beat this guy?

I opened the door of our fridge, glancing over at the clock on the stove as I chugged back some milk from the carton. _It wasn't even 7:30 yet._ Man, if I ever had to make this a routine, getting up at such an ungodly hour, I doubted I would be a trainer for very long.

I rolled my eyes at my own attempt at sarcasm, wiping my milk moustache off on the back of my hand and then my shorts as I replaced the carton and began the search for my flip flops. My dad was very lenient with the smaller pokemon he raised, and the Poochyena that he had become rather fond of had what was basically a free rein of our house. I had lost so many pairs of shoes to the little thing that I had taken to buying the cheaper kind, so when I bought a rather nice pair I went out of my way to hide them away in a kitchen cabinet. My dad would probably never find them; it was a rare occasion when he actually searched for anything to eat. If it was put at the front of the fridge, it got eaten, no questions asked.

Taking the vivid purple sandals out of the cabinet and clapping them together to get rid of the subtle layer of nutmeg that had begun to accumulate on them, I slipped them onto my feet and wiggled my toes to get them on properly. I didn't wear them to school much, and they had gone almost forgotten the entire school year until about a week ago when I had been searching for a package of salt.

The screen door slammed shut behind me as I stepped off our front porch, the rumbling growl of the sleeping Poochyena vibrating against my ankle as I barely avoided stepping on the sleeping pokemon. "Don't sleep on the stairs unless you want to brush your teeth with my foot, you beast." I muttered to him, reaching down to scratch his nose. This earned me a sigh as he began to wake, and I resumed walking and was halfway to one of the large barns before he caught up.

Rounding the corner of the large red building, I could hear my dad huffing away as he worked at clearing out some of the clutter in his workshop. The Poochyena jogged past me, sniffing at corners and barking a hello to my father, who looked up and smiled.

"Kade," He grinned, wiping his hands on a dirty white rag which went over his shoulder moment later. "Morning, Dad." I smiled back, glancing around before clapping my hands on my hips. My dad laughed at my impatient pose. He knew how impatient I could be when I wanted something, and he made an attempt at dragging it out as long as he could. "Well, you see, Kade. I've been thinking," He said, tapping his temple with a dirty finger. I gave him the most scathing look I could come up with to get the point across that I had waited long enough.

My dad was still young in his own right, his bronze hair shaved down short for the summer. He was in his late thirties, not many wrinkles showing on his bearded face for all the worrying he did over the ranch. He was tall, and broad. My god, he had to be the biggest man I had ever seen. He cleared six feet easily, and me and my mother liked joking that he was just as wide. But not even the people who didn't get along with him could call him fat; it was all muscle. If he wasn't my father and if I wasn't aware of the fact that he was a complete pushover, I would be scared shitless of him.

"Maybe we should wait to get you a pokemon?" He asked, trying his absolute best at keeping a straight face. I huffed and couldn't help but laugh too as the telltale creases started beside his eyes.

"Dad. I am _so_ ready for this. Bring it," I challenged, an old game we had. He shook his head at me as his rumbling laugh echoed through the cavernous building, turning and beckoning for me to follow him around the side of the barn. The entire side of the barn was a door, and it was currently wide open. Once we could see past the colossal door, the wind picked up the strands of hair that hadn't quite made it into my bun and fluttered them around in front of my face as we stared out over the acres of land spreading out in front of us. The bigger pokemon were enclosed in large black fences, taller than I was and reinforced with steel. All the precautions my dad took weren't entirely necessary: many of the pokemon had been hatched here and had no desire whatsoever to leave the acres of wide green land.

"You decided what type you want?" My dad asked, a method of his at attempting to discern which pokemon I was going to pick. I had played coy all these years, never once mentioning a favoured pokemon. I shrugged, using a thumb to gesture in the direction of a dark blue, smaller barn off to the right. It was a fair distance away, three large pastures spreading out between where we stood at the beginning of our property and where the barn was.

"I was thinking about looking around over there. Good idea?" I asked my dad, shoving my hands deep into my shorts pockets. I could barely contain my excitement, but I definitely didn't want to come off as if I had never entertained the idea of my own pokemon.

My dad's laugh again rumbled through his chest and I couldn't help but smile again. Today was looking amazing already. "You sure know how to pick 'em," He admitted. The dark blue barn was the oldest barn on the property, the one where my mom kept the pokemon she couldn't bear to keep cooped in the PC system. We began to make our way to the barn, my dad ambling along at his own slow pace while I very nearly began to run.

My mom had a lot of pokemon she couldn't always keep with her, and my dad had built this barn the year I was born so she could work with the comfort of knowing her pokemon were safe at home. I visited the barn often, not only to feed the pokemon but to make an attempt at bonding. It had been drilled into my head since I could read that a pokemon and their trainer _had_ to bond for anything to come of the partnership, and I considered it good practice for whenever I managed to kick my ass into gear.

The doors gave a mighty creak as my dad opened them, leaning against the thick white doorframe as I entered the barn. It was still a large building, larger by far than our house but paling in comparison to the workshop we had just left. There were four rows arranged along the walls of the wood building, and spacious stalls separated these rows into comfortable places for pokemon to sleep in during the colder months. Right now these doors were thrown open, and an array of pokemon were lounging on the cool concrete floor. Normally we didn't allow pokemon to have such freedom, but these were my mother's pokemon and they were trained very well. They wouldn't leave and they had grown alongside each other, so we could leave this barn in peace when need be.

Some of the pokemon merely looked up at my presence, barely batting a sleepy eyelid before curling back up. Others gave happy little calls, but none moved towards me. They had been trained to stay their ground until called, something I thought was a rather stupid thing to do to your partners but which I continually found convenient.

I clicked softly with my tongue, my eyes trained on on of the spacious corner stalls as I awaited patiently one of the pokemon that I envied the most. There was a brief shuffling as the hay was kicked around the stall, and I could hear my dad's chuckle. As hard as it was for me, I stood where I was and waited for the fiery pokemon to make her way towards me. I could feel her heat almost as soon as she stood up, the clopping of her hooves a dull thud against the padded floor.

"Hey, girl." I murmured softly as the Rapidash approached me, her head low so I could place a hand on her creamy fur. She snorted quietly, turning her long face so she could look at me. Her jet black eye seemed to study me for a second as I rubbed her warm fur appreciatively before she huffed and raised her head back up.

She was big for a Rapidash, her back easily brushing my shoulder when I stood beside her. I had bonded with her the first time my mother left for longer than a week, and she was the only pokemon on the ranch that I could freely tell anyone that I loved.

"So it's one of the herd, is it?" My dad asked me, and I turned around. He was still smiling, but this was a proud smile. I guessed he had known for a while now that I would want one of the Rapidash's offspring, but I let this slide as she nudged my hand again.

"Yeah, it is." I rubbed her forehead for a moment longer before turning to leave the barn, the slow clacking of hooves following me. "I kind of want a boy, though. They're supposed to be much easier to train," I added, letting my mouth run in my excitement. My dad only nodded, that same smile brightening his features. My mother's Rapidash seemed to know where we were going, and trotted ahead to the smaller pasture directly behind the little blue barn.

My dad had bred her to a friends Rapidash the previous winter, and she had produced six small Ponyta's in the year following. They all stood side by side against the barn, the majority of them still half asleep. They were hard to tell apart at first, but I had been studying them since they were born. I picked out the largest male in the group easily, the one that I had decided that I wanted to take as my own. He was enormous, even for a Ponyta. His shoulders stood a good foot over his brothers', and his fiery mane burned higher than any other Ponyta I had ever seen. My mother's Rapidash gave a soft cry, and the heads of her offspring rose one by one. My dad opened the gate, and I followed in behind him. I made sure to close this one; these Ponyta were still young, and they were unpredictable at this point.

My dad clapped a hand on the large male, working his fingers through the thicker neck fur as he examined the small herd of Ponyta. "Which one will it be?" He asked, gesturing around at the now alert Ponyta.

Out of the six babies, four of them were male. This was what my dad had expected, and he was proud of the results. I could tell he favoured the male that I was now examining, and this bothered me slightly.

"Big boy here is pretty appealing," I admitted, lifting a hand to pet his nose the same way I had done his mother. He shied away from my touch, backing into one of his brothers and causing the entire lot of them to shuffle backwards. I frowned, and my dad did as well. "Kade," He started, his voice rough from disuse. "I don't think he's a very good idea. You've never raised a pokemon before, and he's a mighty big boy." He offered me an apologetic smile, but I kept my frown firm on my face.

"Dad, I can do it. I didn't stay here for nothing." I said, crossing my arms. Out of the six of them, only one had stood its ground. I examined this Ponyta now, trying to make it look like I wasn't upset that my dad had just rejected my request. It took me another moment, but I recognized it as one of the two females. She was big as well, although nowhere near her massive brother. Her mane and tail were longer than those of her siblings, and her fur was noticeably a darker shade of cream. She stared me down as I watched her, and I found myself looking away from the intense stare.

My dad shook his head, giving the big male a firm pat on the shoulder before backing away. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no this time, Kade. He'll be too much for you to handle. And besides," He added, looking sheepishly at me. "I kind of had plans to get him into the breeding program. Traits like these are hard to come by, you know." He explained, giving the big pokemon an appreciative glance.

"But, dad." I started, trying to reason with him. "I'll let you breed him, I promise. But I really do think we'd make a good team. You want me to succeed, right?" I asked, trying to convince him to let me take him. But it was a losing battle, and I could already see it in his face, the way he crossed his arms as soon as I began to make my argument.

"No, Kade. Look, I really wish I could let you have him, I do." He apologized, watching me look away again. I noticed the same female was still eyeing me down, and I fidgeted under her gaze. "But not him. What about her?" He asked, suddenly very interested in the female who was giving me the stink eye.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the jet black ones that were boring into me. "I don't think she likes me." I told him, taking my loss of the big male in stride. My dad shook his head, approaching the female. "Nonsense. You haven't even tried to approach her yet," He said, walking slowly towards the Ponyta with an outstretched hand. She stiffened visibly, but made no attempt to avoid my dad's hand. He patted her head, smoothing an ear as he looked at me.

"What do you think? She's good, built real nice. She'll make an excellent runner." He explained, beckoning me over. I reluctantly agreed, giving the male a last look before approaching the female. She snorted as I approached, but I ignored it and pet her nose. Her eyes followed my face as my dad walked beside her and motioned for me to come closer.

"C'mon, let's see you on this girl." He held out his hands, making a platform for me to step into to mount the Ponyta. I was already apprehensive about her, being glared at not among my favourite things in the world. "I don't think that's a good idea, Dad." I shook my head, but he was insistent. I gave in, placing a hand against her broad shoulder to steady myself. Her fur was hot to the touch, much warmer than her mothers. My dad hoisted me up and over her back almost as soon as my foot touched his hand, and I struggled for a moment to regain my balance.

"Vault me over her, why don't you." I muttered, my hands trying to find purchase in the velvety fur as I grimaced. My bare thighs felt like they were being burned, which they probably were. She gave another snort, louder this time. My dad took a step back and let out a hearty laugh, but it was cut short.

I could feel her shifting her weight from hoof to hoof as he stepped away, and as soon as his hand left her body she let out a loud cry. "Dad," I said nervously as she began to back up, obviously not liking my weight on her back. My dad laughed again, and I began to try to slip off her other side as her rear end bumped the fence. "Dad!" I said again, getting more anxious now that she was beginning to paw the ground.

He seemed to think my panic was immensely funny, as he did nothing to stop the imminent rampage. I could feel her muscles bulging and tensing under my fingers, her brothers and sister long since having migrated to the safer side of the paddock. She gave a final snort before I felt her rear end come up, smashing my upper body and face into her neck as she made the first attempt to get me off of her back.

My fingers grappled for something to hold on to, but all I managed to do was stick my finger directly into the fiery mane between her ears. I yelped, trying to bring my finger to my face as the burn began to sting. I barely had time to look at the red spot forming on my middle finger before my hand was replaced with the sky. I frowned for a moment, my eyebrows dipping down as I tried to figure out what had happened. But then the air got incredibly cold on my thighs and I realized about a second before I hit the ground; she had bucked me off.

I landed on my back in the grass just outside the fence, my eyes watering as the clouds above me swam. It took me a few tries to suck in air, and while I was struggling to breathe I could hear my dad's laugh booming over the cries of the Ponyta. I rolled onto my stomach, the stomping hooves of the triumphant Ponyta kicking sand into my face.

"That was great!" My dad hollered, doubled over in laughter. I groaned, the hair from my recently undone bun flying in the breeze that had picked up. There was grass in my mouth, and judging by the metallic taste, I had probably bit my cheek in my arc over the fence. What the hell was this?

As I lay there, I heard my dad closing the gate to the paddock, his laugh still coming in quick bursts. "That was brilliant, hun. I think she really likes you," He said, but I didn't hear the rest of his sentence for the laughter that cracked him up again. "You've earned it, kiddo." I did hear him say, and for one second of ringing silence I was confused. What was he on about now?

I heard a thump about a foot away from my face, and when my eyes focused I saw a small pokeball. I made no move to grab it, wondering what my dad was meaning. When he noticed that I wasn't taking it, he stopped laughing long enough to explain to me what I had desperately been hoping he wasn't going to say.

"You've just earned yourself your very own pokemon, Kade. Congrats." This was all he managed, because as he began to shuffle away his voice was broken up by laughter again. I reached my hand out to grasp the small pokeball; it was no bigger than the palm of my hand, brand new. He wasn't serious, was he?

I lifted my head just enough to see his heels turn the corner of the open barn door, followed by the Rapidash who was now giving me what appeared to be an apologetic smile. I stared at the empty space they had just left for what seemed like minutes before turning my face to look at the paddock. The five Ponyta who had been smart enough to vacate the immediate kicking area were all snuffling through the dirt, and it took my eyes a few seconds to refocus on the hooves less than three feet from my face. I followed the creamy orange legs up what now seemed to be an impossibly tall body until I reached her face. She was looking down at me, breathing hard through her nose. She gave a quick shake of her head, sending sparks raining down on me. She turned, allowing me an ample view of her powerful hind legs before she rejoined her siblings, acting for all the world like she hadn't just bucked a human over a fence. I stared at her backside incredulously for a few seconds before lifting my finger to my face. An angry welt was forming on the tip of my middle finger, and it throbbed almost as hard as my head was.

Looking at the small pokeball clenched in my hand, I groaned and let my face fall back into the grass. It was going to be a loooong day.


	2. Broken Summer

My life after claiming my first pokemon was hard. It was hard for a lot of people, sure; they had to come up with the money to buy supplies for their beloved pokemon, had to train hard each and every day to become the best they could be. But none of them had to deal with a pokemon that was seemingly hell bent on destroying any inkling of desire to become a trainer.

That day that my dad gave me the Ponyta was among the worst I have to say that I have ever had. I mean, she was young. How hard could a young Ponyta be? She didn't know any attacks yet, and still she managed to burn and torment me as I struggled to touch the pokeball to her pelt long enough to call her inside. It had taken many attempts and more than an hour to corner her in that small paddock and get her inside the ball, and my dad had come back out after I never showed up back at the house, a shit eating grin on my face and my new pokemon on my belt. He watched and laughed at my piteous attempts to get him to help me, and as the placid morning sun rose higher in the sky it became almost too hot to bear: chasing a fiery pokemon around in that heat very nearly killed me.

I had gone as far as to ask my dad if he would take it back and just let me catch a wild one, but he had refused. It's a good experience, he had told me. It'll make you a stronger trainer. That's if she didn't run my face into the dirt again, that is.

Once I had managed to get her into the pokeball, I was weary about letting her out again. My dad urged me to start bonding with her, but I had no intention whatsoever of letting her out until my burns healed. She had got me good quite a few times, and the bandages wrapped around my finger tips made me grimace each time I caught sight of the ungainly things.

Life continued on like this for almost two days, me being perfectly content to keep her in her pokeball. My dad tried to warn me about keeping her cooped up inside her ball for too long, but I couldn't be bothered to try to repeat my grass-eating stint of earlier. I could feel her pokeball give a slight jump every once in a while, and I justified not letting her out as a punishment for being so shameless about causing me discomfort. One of the worst things I have ever done.

The day I finally let her out, three days after the first incident, very nearly rivalled my first time meeting her. I made sure I was in an empty paddock, close to the house in case she decided that I wasn't going to be her trainer, or any pokemons trainer, for that matter.

The sky was completely cloudless, and for the first time in all my summers I found myself wishing for some cover from the heat the sun provided. I tossed the small pokeball between my hands for a few seconds, bracing myself for what was surely going to be a trying day.

Almost immediately after clicking the button to release her, I heard her cry out. It took me a moment to see her, flames rising high off her body as she stretched, lifting her solid hooves again and again as we stood there. She seemed to not notice me, lifting her head to sample the scents that were being picked up on the breeze that was just now vblowing through the fields.

I watched her for a few more seconds, wary of those jet black eyes that seemed to have it in for me. She didn't seem to care, and I relaxed a little. She was probably just nervous that first day, what with some strange girl being hoisted up onto her back like that. I took a tentative step towards her creamy body, and although her ears perked up slightly at the crunch of the grass under my flip flop, she made no movement to get away from me.

She probably knows that I'm her trainer now, I told myself as I dropped my sense of extreme caution and walked normally towards her. She turned her head in my direction, and I hesitated for a fraction of a second. Her eyes glinted, and I frowned slightly. Was this how all pokemon acted with their trainers?

I felt stupid, inching towards such a young pokemon. Every book I had ever read had instructed that a trainer should never show fear towards their pokemon, should always be in control so that the pokemon knew who was calling the shots and would come to obey without question. What a crock.

The minute I dropped my submissive stance was the moment she reared. I barely had time to shout my surprise before she was off, her fiery tale whipping around behind her as she started a lap of the paddock. I watched her go, slightly amazed to see this pokemon running despite being upended.

The way she ran, I couldn't hear more than two hoof beats. She seemed to flow through the air, her legs and muscles seamlessly pulling her onwards through the grass. I turned my head to watch her lithe form as she ran, full tilt around the grassy enclosure, once, twice. If I wasn't so mad at her showing such impertinence I would have been dumbfounded.

Right as I caught myself thinking that she really was a beautiful pokemon and that I should maybe make an extremely concerted effort in befriending her, she turned in my direction. At first I was confused; didn't she know that she would run me over if she kept running full speed ahead like that?

My jaw dropped. She _did_ know that she would bowl me over if she kept her gallop directed at me, her head bobbing with the rhythm of her strides. I gasped as I made a break to the left, her hooves crashing down on the grass where my feet had been not second before, leaving crescent shaped gouges in the soft earth.

Why was I getting the short end of the stick? I thought as I made a break for the fence, all intentions on vaulting myself over it. I had stayed in school studied hard, and for what? To be killed by the first pokemon I had ever had the opportunity of owning?

The paddock was large, and my legs were no match for the crazy pace that hers were setting almost directly behind me. I faltered a little in my running, slowing down because I knew that I wouldn't make it. But the hoof beats slowed down with me. What the hell was she doing?

I chanced a glance over my shoulder as I picked up the pace and saw her head lifted high, mouth open as she panted. She picked up her pace only slightly, adjusting her speed so she could stay two feet behind me. _This is ridicu—_

I could barely finish the thought when I realized that the fence was approaching fast. I yelped as I switched direction as fast as I could, my feet sliding in the grass and my right flip flop flying off without me as I ran as fast as I could along the fence line. I could hear her hooves digging into the earth as she stopped, and then picking right back up again, her hoofbeats getting louder and drowning my hectic gasping.

I was panting hard, harder than I had in a long time. I kicked off my other sandal, half heartedly trying to aim it behind me in the hopes of deterring her. No such luck, as she kept her pace now only a foot behind me. I was tiring, my lungs burning as I tried to avoid being run over by the seemingly insane Ponyta.

And then I seemed to remember all the studying that I had forced myself to do: just what the hell did I think I was doing? It's not like she was actually _trying_ to run me down. If she really had a mind to, there was no doubt that she would have already. I mean, a pokemon didn't get the reputation of being one of the fastest for nothing, and I felt more than a little sheepish at my overreaction.

I tentatively slowed my pace some, my hands clutching the stitch in my right side. Just as I had thought, she slowed down slightly. Despite the sharp ache emanating from my ribcage, I changed my direction as fast as I could and swerved back out into the open paddock. This seemed to confuse her, as she kept right on going, her slender neck twisting around as she barrelled on ahead alone.

My brief flash of superiority made me cocky, and a thought struck me as I stood there gasping for air. Why didn't I just turn her own game back on her? We were supposed to be _bonding_, for Pete's sake. Not competing in our own version of a death race.

Summoning up the last bit of my strength in the mindset that I would come out victorious, I waited until she stopped and turned back around to see where I had gone. Once she started to trot back to where I was standing, I gave my best imitation of a war cry and began to jog headlong into her path. I heard her cry out, and I was basking in my own genius, a smug grin on my face as I saw her swerve a few feet away from me. How does that feel, you crazy pokemon? How's your own medicine tas—

And then it hit me. I mean, _she_ hit me. Literally. I felt her broad shoulder smash into me, knocking me sideways into the grass. I stumbled, loosing my balance and landing hard on my knee. She gave an awkward leap and was off again, doing what might as well have been a victory lap. Around me.

I sat up, giving her the dirtiest look I could muster while trying to preserve some of my own dignity. Wiping dirt off my elbows, I dug my hands into the grass behind me and shoved off, intent on whipping that pokeball at her prancing form as hard as I could.

But it just wasn't happening. My legs wouldn't move, and my shove forward only resulted in another faceful of grass. What was happening? Ignoring her snorts and grunts, I pulled myself up onto my knees and used them to push myself upright. I could see my dad in the short distance between the black fence and the house, making his way towards the paddock as my Ponyta practically danced around herself. As I stood up I waved, and I let out a sharp gasp of pain.

The moment I had stood up, a searing pain had shot through my right ankle. I gasped again as I landed on my hands for the third time in the space of mere minutes, my eyes searching my leg uselessly. I could see purple bruises already beginning to form, and as my dad climbed the fence I realized what had happened; the moment I had hit the ground, my bare foot slipped in the smooth grass and I had landed on it. By the time we had gotten the Ponyta back into her pokeball, made it into town to the centre and had my leg examined my ankle was a swollen mess and I couldn't stand by myself. Her blow had caused me to twist and, as a result, break my ankle.

Looking back on that day now, I can't believe how stupid I was to think that she would have submitted to me that easily. I learned my lesson, and she didn't go back into her ball for the rest of that summer. My supposed 'journey' was bumped back as a result of my broken ankle, and I was in a cast for almost three months. I ended up back at school, and my life couldn't have been going worse. My pokemon was apparently insane, the smugness I had gotten about knowing I wouldn't be returning to school had all but vanished, and my mom wasn't going to be able to make it home for another two months.

Looking back on that first summer with my pokemon, I can both laugh and cry. Although, truth be told, the only crying I ever did was in frustration to the wild beast that I had had the misfortune of having to raise. Four years later, we're still not quite on the same page. I have a healthy respect for her now, and she doesn't seem quite as intent on injuring another of my appendages as she did at first. But she does listen, and after I was all cleared by the league to begin my work as a trainer a year ago we started seriously training together.

Meeting Kaylib wasn't part of the plan. Going back to that infernal school for another four years wasn't in the plan. But waiting things out seemed to have worked for me so far; not only did we manage to avoid one of the worst winters Sinnoh has ever had by not leaving the year I turned eighteen, but we had gained some new comrades and were even beginning to see that both me and Ponyta were both going in the same direction. She wanted to be stronger, stronger than any of the pokemon on the ranch. I just wanted to leave Hearthome, leave the town that had outcasted me as a child and start my own life.


	3. And So It Begins

**Chapter 3! Sorry for the wait, busy holidays.**

**I don't own Pokemon, Towns, etc.**

**All original characters belong to me.**

**Please Read and Review, I'll do the same for your stories.**

**:3**

**Thanks.**

My head was killing me. Waking up this early had never been a part of the plan that I had so carelessly thrown together in my tenth summer. Blinking my eyes, I rubbed a hand across my forehead and through my hair as I struggled to sit up. I eyed the little alarm clock beside my bed scathingly, longing to push the snooze button and stay in bed for another couple of hours. Heaving a final sigh as I pushed my warm blankets off my legs, I half crawled, half slipped out of my bed.

Today I was supposed to be meeting some of my friends in town, a pretty good way to spend a weekend, normally. But getting up at seven was most definitely not my favourite thing to do; most Saturdays I slept in until noon, not bothering with any of my chores until Sunday night. But _no_, I had to get dressed and trek into town. Just whose genius idea was this, anyway? Certainly not something my conscious mind would come up with.

Oh, right. My so-called best friend. The one person who had, when we were sixteen, deemed me interesting and begun hanging around me. We weren't so much alike as we were interested in the same thing, and I had long suspected that the only reason I had dropped my weird little girl phase and become somewhat acceptable to be around was that I lived on one of the biggest ranches in Sinnoh.

Alaira and I were so very different in personality that my dad always teased us whenever Alaira came around our ranch, which was becoming more and more frequent. He would ask her if she was sure she had the right house, sure that the nineteen year old fighting the Ponyta out back was, in fact, who she was looking for. I made a point of ignoring these comments whenever he made them, but Alaira seemed think they were hilarious, much to my dismay.

Once Alaira and I had become friends and word had got out around school, much thanks to Alaira, that I was okay and wouldn't make them look like a weirdo if they hung around me, my social status improved. I wasn't shunned anymore and was beginning to be somewhat revered by the little kids who found out who my mother was.

Slipping on my favourite pair of jeans, dark washed Levi's, I scanned my room for both my cell phone and my sweater. My luck was apparently favouring me at the moment, seeing that as soon as I pulled on my green striped sweater I could feel the familiar bulge of my cell.

Taking it out and flipping it open, I grimaced at all the messages. God, Alaira was freaking _crazy_ sometimes. Slapping it shut, I buried it and my nine text messages deep into my pants pocket. Giving my room a final once over, I turned and made my way downstairs.

"Morning, dad." I greeted my father, buried behind a newspaper at the kitchen table. He gave me the usual grunt in response, both of us alike in the fact that we were most definitely not morning people.

"You going into town today?" He asked, turning down a corner of the paper with a finger to watch me slip my shoes on.

"Yes, dad. I told you yesterday," I added, frowning slightly as I pinched my finger between my heel and my shoe as I slipped the sneaker on.

"If you wouldn't mind picking up some supplies," He started, but I interrupted him before he could finish. I knew he wanted me to pick up the normal array of items that usually stocked our stable walls.

"I will. I told you _that_ yesterday, too." I smiled, throwing him my best sarcastic face as I opened the door.

"See you later. I have my phone." I offered as the screen door slammed shut behind me. I was glad he wasn't one of those parents who hovered over me all the time and monitored everything I did, but I knew he worried about me so I tried my best to be about as well behaved as I could.

The dirt driveway crunched underneath my dark blue sneakers as I made my way to the end of our property. I had always hated how long my walks to town were, especially during the winter months. I was more than grateful that it was the beginning of summer, but I still wasn't thrilled that it was so early in the morning.

"Ponta." I called, clicking my tongue as I kept my pace. I could hear her hooves thumping softly into the grass as she caught up with me, and I could only wonder where she had been. She was free to roam our property at will, and while she knew she wasn't to stray there was really no way I could enforce this rule, so whatever it was she did all night I never knew.

When I had first started dreaming of becoming a trainer, I had so many ideas about what I was going to name my first pokemon. I wanted it to be special, something people would think was clever and something that I had put a lot of effort into coming up with. But she would have none of it; she refused to even acknowledge any of the names I could come up with. I didn't want to _not_ give her a nickname, so I had tried so many different ways of spelling Ponyta and even more names that rhymed with it, but she was too smart. She wouldn't accept any of them. Eventually I had given up and just named her Ponta, although it didn't do much for an original nickname.

We walked in silence the entire way, me constantly checking my phone for any messages other than the ones from Alaira and Ponta inspecting every little divot in the road. This is what she always did; forget going for a jog with her. She had to inspect every little thing, absolutely had to know what was going on at all times and be in charge.

Flipping open my phone for what seemed to be the hundredth time on the long walk from home, I sent off a quick text to Alaira to let her know that I was in town. The town was still quiet, Ponta's hooves making a sharp clacking sound against the cobblestones as we made our way to the local store. I could see Alaira's bike leaning against the front window, and I snapped my fingers and pointed at the ground as we neared the door. I had learned the hard way to be as direct as possible when trying to get Ponta to do something, and while many a person had asked me why I appeared to be rude to my pokemon, I gave the shortest and most direct answer I could think of; she wouldn't listen any other way.

Ponta snorted, but she stayed put as I entered the store. Nodding my head at the clerk, I entered the maze of aisles looking for Alaira. She shouldn't be too hard to spot; nobody shopped this early in the morning, and her platinum blonde hair was like a beacon. The though occurred to me to get my dads shopping done before I found her, as I could almost guarantee that once she got started I wouldn't have much time to spare.

I could see her now, immersed in one of the comic books against the back wall. I contemplated sneaking up on her, but I knew where that would go; she would yell, laugh uproariously, and ultimately get us kicked out of the store. Again.

"Alaira. Seriously, buy it or put it back." I quipped, a little smile slipping onto my lips. She spun around, her short hair arcing out behind her as she gasped. Alaira could be _very_ dramatic, which I normally would have found exceedingly annoying, but her charisma and bubbly personality more than made up for it.

"Kade!" She yelled, and I shot her a look as she hugged me, sending a quick glance towards the front of the store. Her outburst earned us a glare, but she didn't seem to care. I pushed her off of me, holding her at arms length and shaking her a bit.

"Miss Pointe. Do you _really_ want to get us kicked out again?" I asked, laughing as she threw my arms off and put the comic back. Dropping my hands and pushing them into my pockets, I gave a quick scan of the back of the mart. Had to make sure there weren't anymore people around that I could potentially be embarrassed in front of.

"Oh my god, Kade. What took you so long?" She asked, her blue eyes glinting as she smirked. I rolled my eyes at her attempt at a joke and shrugged my shoulders sarcastically, taking a moment to watch her fix her green head band before trying to reason with her intensely jolly attitude. She was wearing her white jeans today, the skin tight ones that she had tried, unsuccessfully, to get me to wear. Brown suede boots and a black button up jacket were most definitely not typical of a trainer, but then again, neither was Alaira.

Just as I opened my mouth to come back with something to rival her lame attempt at teasing, she grabbed my elbow and began to haul me out of the store. She was so in charge, all the time. Sometimes I got sick of it, but I knew it was just the way she was and while her idiosyncrasies could really bother me sometimes her pros outweighed her cons.

"Okay. So. I've been thinking," She started as we exited the store into the brightening morning.

"Never a good sign," I interjected, my reward a swift elbow into my ribcage.

"Shut up. I was _thinking_," she started again, continuing on with her beeline out the door. "That maybe we should call everybody and go down to the pond today." She looked at me as we stopped, and I shot her a genuine look of horror.

"You woke me up at _seven_ in the _morning_ to ask me to go to that _stinkhole_? Are you _insane_?" I demanded, actually getting mad. She knew I didn't like getting up early. And she knew I wasn't too fond of the people she seemed to think I was.

Alaira looked hurt for a moment before she detached herself from me and walked over to where Ponta was snuffling through the bed of flowers in the shop window. Ponta looked up, watched Alaira for a few moments, and then went right back to snorting in the dirt. Alaira ran her fingers through the thicker fur of Ponta's shoulders, and I couldn't help but stare. Ponta had never showed the same dislike for other people as she seemed to do for me, but she actually seemed to like Alaira. I wasn't too sure if Ponta just plain disliked me or if she just didn't care, but I was almost certain the only reason she remained civil around other people was to spite me.

"But I thought that it was a perfect way to spend the beginning of summer," Alaira pouted, pulling her puppy dog face on me. I heaved a sigh, waiting for the last part. I knew exactly where she was going with this, and I had been telling her for almost the entire time I had known her that it wasn't going to happen.

"Alaira. No." I said, but she barrelled right on through my objection and kept going.

"But it's the perfect way to get you a boyfriend!" She blurted, her face lighting up. I crossed my arms, pretending to examine the flyers out front of the store in an attempt to avoid her gaze. She had been nagging me almost the entire school year to hook up with someone, anyone. Alaira had this warped image that I wasn't happy, that I actually _needed_ someone to feel complete. Now, don't get me wrong. That would be _nice_, but I mean, come on. I wasn't about to go find some guy just to look good.

"But _why_? Why do you do this to me?" She whined, and now I was actually getting a little annoyed. She knew it bothered me when she persisted, and normally she stopped. But it looked like I wasn't going to be so lucky today.

"Ah. Lair. Ah." I spat through my teeth, trying to get the point across to her to stop. She was much the same as my belligerent pokemon; if you weren't as blunt as possible, they wouldn't listen.

"Fine. But we're still going swimming today." She retorted, and I sighed again. At least she was off my case about the whole boyfriend thing, not that I had won that conversation at all.

It wasn't that I was opposed to having a boyfriend, I was just _scared_. I didn't want to be rejected, thought it was embarrassing to be seen with someone. I had never really been in a relationship before, I'm not that afraid to admit, but I just was so embarrassed about the whole thing that I had never really given it a chance. Besides, it would really just hinder my training, right?

"—and Kaylib said he might show up." I heard Alaira say, and I snapped out of my thoughts. What? I hadn't realized she had been talking the entire time I was justifying things in my head, and apparently I had missed quite a bit.

"What?" I repeated aloud, and she shot me a look that proved she knew I hadn't been listening. I fidgeted slightly as we started walking towards the town centre, full intent on throwing myself into this conversation to avoid returning to the previous one.

"I _said_," She repeated, giving me a furtive look out of the corner of her eye. "That Kaylib texted me last night. He said he'd be getting off the train from Johto sometime this morning, so he wasn't sure if he would show today." She explained, and I pulled the usual look of mock disgust whenever we talked about Kaylib.

Kaylib Hudson was probably one of the most arrogant person I knew. Probably the cockiest guy in all of Sinnoh, to be exact. He was a year younger than us, but he was rumoured to be incredibly talented for a trainer so young. At fifteen, the same year that I had had the misfortune of being stuck with Ponta, Kaylib was off in Johto, learning at the revered trainer's school and building his team. At seventeen, he had gotten his first gym badge and this year, at only eighteen, he was well on his way to his fourth badge. He loved rubbing this little fact in; you even looked at him weird and he would blast you with tales about exploring mount Moon in the dead of night, or how he had dove to the bottom of Lake Verity on numerous occasions. In winter.

It was all quite ridiculous, and to be honest, I really had a dislike for the guy. If he wasn't so self righteous, he would be utterly fascinating; Getting to travel all over the world wasn't an experience any trainer could put a claim to.

"Oh, great. You actually _invited_ the book of knowledge? You really _are_ trying to kill me, aren't you?" I asked, more than a little serious. She just rolled her eyes, linking her arm in mine as we neared Amity Square. This was our usual meeting place, as the man who currently owned and operated the Square was good friends with my dad.

"You know what, Kade? You're a prude. A big, massive, stingy prude. Always trying to ruin my fun. Kaylib's actually not a bad guy, if you catch my drift." She prodded me with her elbow, wagging her eyebrows in a not-so-subtle hint. I made an attempt to detach myself from her, but she hung on tighter as we passed through the gate.

"Alaira, you're crazy. You really are. It's a wonder I still hang out with you, you know." I told her, snapping my fingers to keep Ponta following us. Since my mom had last left for the league, she had made a bid to the mayor to allow any pokemon to follow their trainers in Amity Square, seeing as Hearthome was as big a tourist destination as it was. This was one of the few times that I kept Ponta out of her ball, seeing as the last time that I allowed her to stay out of the ball in the Square it hadn't turned out too nicely. Besides my dad having to pay for the damage to the trees and a large section of grass that she had managed to burn to a crisp in one corner of the park, we had received not only a warning, but a threat to keep her under control or risk being banned from the Square indefinitely.

Alaira rolled her eyes at my comment, not even bothering to come back with something. By this time, Ponta was off somewhere in one of the fields, sniffing out every little footprint in the grass. I watched her as we sat down on one of the many park benches, examining her massive frame. Since I had begun training her four years ago, she had gotten bigger. Not just taller, but _wider_. I didn't even think Ponytas could get so big. And it wasn't that she was fat; most of her mass was muscle, and there were only very seldom times when I would clamber up onto her back. These times were when we were farther away from the house and it was getting later at night, times I tried to avoid as best I could. Her back was immensely broad, and it felt very much like I was doing the splits when I was atop her back.

The sound of a pokemon being released brought my attention back to Alaira, and I caught the end of the bright white flash before her pokemon appeared. The little Sandshrew shook out her short fur, hopping around for a few moments as she adjusted to being outside her pokeball.

"Hey, little boo. Morning." Alaira greeted her pokemon, leaning down to rub the little pokemon between the ears. I smiled a little bit at Alaira's behaviour, watching as the little Sandshrew stretched upwards to reach Alaira's hand.

"_Shreew._" The little pokemon chirped as Alaira straightened up, catching me watching her and laughing. She shrugged in response, and I shook my head as the Sandshrew leaped off to investigate Ponta.

"What?" Alaira giggled, watching her beloved pokemon shove her snout into Ponta's front leg.

"You know how Jordan is. She _needs_ me to baby her," Alaira explained, and I offered her a derisive snort in reply. Alaira had had Jordan since before she was a trainer, and I could understand their attachment, but sometimes Alaira could go way over the top. She treated the little ground pokemon like a baby, going so far as to dress her up sometimes. Not that the Sandshrew minded, because she thrived on it. But walking around with the two of them had earned us many a stare, and I sometimes regretted agreeing to hang out with Alaira in the first place.

"Right. So, Alaira," I asked, changing the subject as we watched Jordan trying to avoid Ponta's hooves.

"When exactly did you plan on meeting up with everybody? Nobody in their right mind is going to be up this early on a Saturday." I asked her, brushing my hair out of my eyes as I examined the Square. Despite coming here to hang out at least once a week, there was always something new to be found. This week it was a newly fallen tree, which was being scrutinized by Ponta and Jordan as we spoke.

"God, Kade, lighten up. They're supposed to be arriving between ten and noon." Alaira said.

"Then why wake me up at seven, you nut?" I retorted, twirling a strand of hair between my fingers.

"Because," Alaira started, rooting through her little black bag for what I guessed was her phone. "Kaylib said if he _was_ going to come, he'd be here early. You know, because he starts training at _five_ every day." She added, shooting me a glance that I knew was intended to inspire me.

"You know what I think?" I asked her as she found her phone. "I think _you're_ the one who wants to hook up with Kaylib." I gave her a furtive glance to let her know just how highly I thought of him. She shot me a dirty look, but I caught the end of the smirk that she made the lame attempt of covering up.

"Are you serious?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows as she pretended to ignore me, her thumbs flying across the little keypad on her little pink cell. I knew Alaira wasn't exactly shy about who she went after, but Kaylib? Really? I had thought she had better taste than that.

"Oh, looks like Aaden won't be coming." She said, interrupting my questions. She slapped her phone shut, looked at me, and laid back on the bench. Crossing her legs, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I really don't see what's so bad about Kaylib. He's smart, and talented, obviously. And Aaden said he has to go to Jubilife with his brother today, so he'll meet up with us sometime tomorrow. Apparently there's something big happening in Johto next month." She explained, switching topics in her usual rapid fire way of talking.

I rolled my eyes, leaning back on the bench as well. There really was no point in trying to keep a conversation going once Alaira had switched, so I settled in to listen to whatever it was that Alaira was now intent on discussing.

"Not exactly," I heard her mutter, and I knew she was on her phone again. I had told her before that if she was going to be hanging out with me that she should stop texting, but it was like she was glued to her phone.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" I asked, but before she got a chance to reply there was a loud crash and the bench rumbled a little. We both straightened up, looking around for the source of the sound. My immediate thought was that Ponta had broken something, and my hand unclipped her pokeball from my belt instinctively.

I was right in thinking that Ponta had something to do with it, but not the way the scene before us was unfolding. The massive tree that had fallen over was now almost forty feet away from the place it had been laying five minutes ago, and Ponta and Jordan weren't alone anymore.

An Ampharos was charging at Ponta, who was deftly sidestepping the electric pokemon's advances. A normal trainer would have rushed in to stop the fight, and while I normally would let Ponta do her own thing, I stood up. Alaira, of course, was up and running before I even registered that there was another trainer across the park, calling the shots for the raging Ampharos.

I started to jog towards the fighting pokemon, frowning as I heard the boy who was directing the Ampharos to attack my Ponyta. It took me almost a full minute to realize that this boy was Kaylib, and he was in the process of pulling a pokeball from his bag.

"Hey!" I yelled, realizing what he was trying to do. He was pretty stupid, if he thought he could capture my pokemon. Didn't he know she was mine?

By the time I made it to the old tree and my pokemon, Alaira had scooped Jordan up into the safety of her arms and the Ampharos was panting behind Kaylib. I could see Ponta's flames rising high over our heads, her snorts loud over Kaylib's voice.

"Well, then she should take better care of her pokemon, am I right?" I heard him, and as I came to a stop beside Alaira I mustered up my best glare and crossed my arms. This was _exactly_ why I didn't like him.

Alaira turned to me, shrugging her shoulders. Jordan peeped quietly, her big black eyes watching me.

"He's kind of right, don't you think? I mean, we shouldn't have let them get so far away from us." Alaira conceded, and I shot her a look of disbelief.

"Alaira! We were right there!" I exclaimed, pointing a thumb over my shoulder to the park bench. Kaylib snorted, and I could hear Ponta grunting in frustration. Alaira shrugged, and for a few seconds I as angry that she was siding against me.

"Hey, sorry. I suppose. Didn't know she was yours," I heard Kaylib say, and I was very close to laughing at him. But I didn't want to end up having a fight, so I dropped it as well as my arms.

"But he is a big guy, eh? What do you feed him?" Kaylib asked, letting out a low whistle as he examined Ponta. She was getting more and more frustrated that she couldn't finish the fight with Kaylib's Ampharos, and I could feel the heat emanating off of her.

"_She_," I started, still a little angry, "is a female. And I don't give her anything, she was bred to be big." I replied, eyeing the trainer opposite Alaira and I. He nodded knowingly, and I felt another rush of annoyance at his know it all attitude.

"Feel like trading?" He offered suddenly, and it took me a moment to register what he was actually asking. I dropped my eyebrows into a frown again, recrossing my arms.

"No, thank you." I replied icily, throwing a meaningful look at Alaira's bouncing form. She was absently stroking Jordan's head, and despite the fact that Kaylib hadn't been here ten minutes and was already getting on my nerves, I couldn't help feeling a little glad that I was at least out of the house. These feelings came and went randomly, and I was always left with the thought that no matter how bad things seemed to be going with my friends, at least I had them and wasn't being mocked like I used to be.

But this had to be the exception. Not only was I not feeling grateful that I was hanging out with my friends, but I was actually wishing to be anywhere but here at the moment. After Kaylib's sudden arrival, we had gone to sit on the same bench to wait out the rest of our usual group of friends.

In actuality, Alaira and Kaylib talked the entire time and left me out of the loop. I was left on the end of the bench, reduced to watching Ponta wander aimlessly through the square as they discussed things that seemed ridiculous to me. This was most definitely not how I had envisioned spending my weeked.

By the time eleven had rolled around, nobody had showed up. I was in the middle of contemplating making up an excuse to go do my dad's unfinished shopping and just go home when we heard more people entering Amity Square. We looked up in time to see six trainers, pokeballs out and pokemon appearing around them. Finally, I thought.

"Hey! Sorry we took so long!" The leading male called out, using his arm to indicate to the others where we were. All six of our friends started walking, one girl even breaking free from the pack of them and jogging towards us. As our friends surrounded us and the chatter broke out around me, I settled into the bench to wait out the tidal wave of information being shouted at us.

One girl in particular was excitedly describing the latest gossip she had overheard when she caught my attention. Tall and athletic, Hannah was the picture of an ideal trainer. Her sandy brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail and her blazer was open, the wind taking it out behind her arms as she animatedly discussed what she had learned.

"And Professor Rowan was on the news last night talking about it!" Hannah quipped, her hands moving animatedly as she spoke. The general chatter had died down, and Hannah was free to talk about the upcoming event to relative silence.

From what she described in the following discussion, there was to be a massive tournament held in Johto. Trainers from every region where going to be coming together in what was apparently the biggest gathering since the crowning of the new league champion. Although I didn't quite catch all of Hannah's explanation over the repeated excited outbursts, I got the gist of it. We were to board a train next week that would take us to Johto, to wherever this tournament was being held. I didn't even know what the whole point of it was, but I had a feeling I would be finding out in the near future.


End file.
